Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe - Crunchy Creamy Sweet (2024)

Easy Sesame Chicken is abattered chicken fried in a pan and coated with sesame sauce. Popular Asian takeout dish, made easily at home.

If you like to cook takeout at home, you may also like my recipe for Korean Beef Tacos or Orange Chicken. I serve them all with my Instant Pot Rice.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Thursdays in our house are for Asian dinners. If I am not making my Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls,I am whipping up this Easy Sesame Chicken. There is an additional step of dipping the chicken in the batter, comparing to the other recipes, but it's totally worth it and very quick. As always, my goal is to make the recipe as easy as possible.

This Easy Sesame Chicken is so flavorful and delicious, you will add it to your weekly menu. It's so easy to make, and since the sauce can be made ahead of time and the recipe calls for chicken thighs, this recipe is a budget-friendly time-saver. Perfect for busy weeknights!

Ingredients:

• chicken - I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces. Use chicken breast if you prefer it.
• egg - Binding ingredient for the coating.
• cornstarch - Used to make the coating for chicken that gives it that crispy texture.
• sesame oil - The star of the sauce! This oil is very potent so start with a small amount and adjust to your taste.
• soy sauce - The base of most Asian sauces. I always use low-sodium soy sauce.
• rice vinegar - Used to make the sesame sauce. You can substitute it with regular vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• brown sugar - Gives the sauce a sweet flavor. You can use honey in its place.
• garlic and ginger - This aromatic combo is used in many Asian dishes.
• water or chicken stock - Used to thin out the sauce.
• sesame seeds - I use the toasted sesame seeds to garnish the finished dish.

How to make sesame chicken?

• Cut chicken thighs into bite-size pieces.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
• Add cut chicken to the egg mixture and stir to coat.
• Heat up olive oil in a pan and drop the coated chicken pieces to cook. It's easier to do that in two batches to make sure each piece is cooked.
• Next, pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and simmer on medium-low heat until the sauce thickens.

Chicken breast vs. thighs:

One difference you can see in this recipe compared to my other Asian dishes, is that it calls for chicken thighs. You can, of course, use boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces. However, most Sesame Chicken recipes use chicken thighs. They have more flavor because it's dark meat. It also makes this dish very budget friendly.

The sesame sauce:

Sesame chicken sauce is very similar to Teriyaki Sauce, but with more sesame flavor and more vinegar. It's less sweet and more sour with a delicious nutty flavor. All thanks to sesame oil, a very potent and popular ingredient in Asian cooking. You only need 1 teaspoon of it to add a rich nutty flavor to the sauce. You can adjust the sauce to your taste and add more brown sugar or honey. Don't forget to add the sesame seeds. I prefer them toasted.

The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to use it OR you can make a larger batch, simmer it in a saucepan until thickened, and store in a jar with a lid. Use in any Asian dishes.

More easy Asian dinners:

If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!

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